If you genuinely never know what gifts to give anyone then maybe you need to seek some inspiration from some of the most unbelievable gifts ever handed out in the history of mankind.

Sadly, while some of them are unbelievably good others are simply unbelievably bad.

The Statue of Liberty

In terms of usefulness this probably seemed like a pretty poor idea at the time, but it turned out to a much better gift than a pair of socks or a nice sweater. This gift from the people of France to the USA turned into one of the world’s most iconic symbols and the first thing many immigrants to the country saw. The head was first put on display at the World’s Fair held at Paris in 1878.

A Gremlin

Ok, so the people of France aren’t going to give you a giant monument for Christmas, which is probably just as well considering how much room you have in the yard. If you want a really special gift then you need a gormless relative to visit an unscrupulous Chinese shop owner. Really, who would give a terrible gift like this to a kid? Apart from the dubious, vague feeding instructions there is also the fact that at some point the little fellow is going to get water spilt on him no matter how hard you try.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond

Thankfully Richard Burton knew better than to gift Elizabeth Taylor a creature that could theoretically kill them. Instead, he got her a whopping great 69 carat diamond. The so-called Taylor-Burton diamond was the first stone of this type to change hands at a public auction for over a million dollars. Liz eventually sold it for $5 million, with the money being used to build a hospital in Botswana.

The Trojan Horse

Can you imagine the look on the faces of the Trojans when they saw this monstrosity? It’s, umm, nice but where will we put it? Still it probably seemed like a nice touch by the Greeks after they had spent 10 years trying to destroy the city of Troy and all its inhabitants. This sudden change of heart in leaving behind a giant gift didn’t seem to raise any suspicions at all. Maybe it was common practice to leave giant and impractical gifts like this after bloody, multi year sieges. No-one would even think to, like, check inside for anyone hiding inside it.

A Fur Coat with a Mile Long Train

When Louis XIV of France wanted to give his first wife, Maria Theresa, a new coat he didn’t head over to Ye Olde Amazon for any old garment on offer. Oh no, the Sun King decided to gift her a sable fur coat with a mile long train behind it. The story goes that her servants would lay out the coat along the gardens of Versailles. When she then put it on she could walk barefoot on top of the fur all through the gardens. Try doing that in a suburban street.

A Private Island, a Jet and Expensive Cars

One household where you won’t find bottles of perfume and scarves changing hands is Beyonce and Jay-Zs’. She got him a $2 million Bugatti Veyron Sport and a $5 million watch. Meanwhile, hubby gifted a $1 vintage Rolls Royce and apparently bought her a private island in the Bahamas for $4 million. Most expensive of all, Beyonce bought Jay-Z a $40 million private jet. Wouldn’t you hate to get either of them in the Secret Santa draw at work?